Assuring the protection of the environment and maintaining its natural status, particularly at offshore locations where crude oil and gas are produced, is high on the agenda of any producing operation. Normally, particularly in the instance of crude oil production, upflowing liquid from a hydrocarbon containing reservoir usually includes a considerable amount of water, gas, drilling mud and other elements or components. In the instance of offshore producing structures or platforms, it is desirable to separate the liquid production flow, to break out only the crude oil and drilling mud, and to dispose of the residual water.
Since the water cannot be saved with any degree of practicality, it must be treated in a manner to assure virtual complete separation out of the usable crude oil.
As a matter of practicality, offshore structures of the type presently contemplated normally have a separating or emulsion breaking facility into which the aqueous crude oil emulsion is deposited. It can be appreciated that residue which normally accumulates on the platform, including salt water, drilling fluids, are also accumulated in the separating facility.
To assure that only relatively pollutant free water is returned to the surrounding environment, it is necessary that the hydrocarbon element be separated from the emulsion.
Toward providing a simple and effective means for treating a production stream from an offshore hydrocarbon containing reservoir, a novel emulsion breaking apparatus and treating method is provided. The apparatus is comprised primarily of a closed vessel or casing into which an array of panels is fastened in an emulsion flow path as well as defining segregated chambers into which lighter fluids can pass.
The panel array or arrangement in the casing defines a tortuous path along which the emulsion will flow in a generally quiescent manner, thus permitting solid materials to fall to the floor of the unit and lighter liquids to rise to the water's surface.
To avoid the corrosive effects which ordinarily occur in such units due to gases which are received with the crude oil from the underground reservoir, the emulsion breaker is tightly sealed with a removable cover plate and provided with a neutral environment comprised of a non-reactive blanketing gas. The latter will function to purge the closed casing of the corrosive gases as well as to concurrently shield exposed metallic surfaces of the unit from contact with gases or subsequently formed liquids which could promote corrosion.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a simple emulsion breaking apparatus that is capable of receiving an emulsion comprised primarily of a hydrocarbon liquid and water.
A still further object is to provide an apparatus capable of separating the produced fluid from an underground reservoir, which ordinarily contains elements which would promote corrosive damage to the apparatus by contacting the unprotected walls of the latter.